Combined lock and stay.



L c. ONEILL.A COMBINED LOCK AND STAY.

19150059. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6| I9I4. Patented Aug. 17

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CULUMBIA PEANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

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JOSEPH C. ONEILL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

eoMBrNnn Lock Ani) STAY,

.Specicationof Letters Patent.

rammed Aug. iv, reis.

Application filed yJune 6, 1914. VSerial No. 843,446.

T0 all whom t may concern: c

Be it known that I, Josnrrr C. ONELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of VNew York, borough of Brooklymvcounty of Kings, and State of New York, have inventedv certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Locks and Stays, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

This invention relates more particularly Another object of the invention lis to prol vide a simple and efficient device' having a casingV and a member adapted to extend from or to move into said casing and which member is adapted to be positively held in either one of its two positions.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a simple and efficientl device of the character described having few parts and which is particularly adapted for dress suit cases to permit one member to be foldable relatively to another member, the said foldable member to be held in either its open or its folded position; and to provide a device whereby an extension member may be moved within the casing of the device and be positively locked in such position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient combined lock and stay or brace which is simple in construction and which may be used in connection with suit cases or other apparel containers and for various purposes. c

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a partof this specification, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure v1 is a section of a dress suit case showing one embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, showing a part of the suit casein full lines in an open position, and in dotted lines the position of the parts when in a folded position. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the' line III-III of Fig. 2; andL Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken on the line IV-TV of Fig.L 2.

The dress suit case or container comprises a bottom or base member 10, a rear member 11 and a frontmember 12. The members 11' and`12 are hinged at 13 -to the bottom memberso that when the two members 11 and 12 are folded toward' or from each other, the suit case is adapted to be opened n or closed in such a way that clothes, as suits arate' application filed of even date herec with Serial No. 843,445 and the specific construction thereof is not claimed in` this application. v

In the character of suit case shown in the drawings, the foldable member 11 should have means not only to limit the unfolding movement, but to positively lock and hold said foldable member to the bottom member 10 in its closed position which is at right angles to said bottom member. device is provided for this purpose, there being usually one on each side of the case for holding the members to leach other, though only one need be employed if preferred. v

A casing 14 is arranged on each end wall kr15 of the foldable member 11. This casing 14 is secured by screws 15 or otherwise to said wall, and said wall 15 may form a back or inner portion for the casing 14. The front or main part of the casing 14 is in the form of a plate 16 having marginal walls 17 and instead of the wall 15, a separate casing plate might be provided as a back for the casing. The plate 16 is substantially rectangular in form and the inner end wall is slotted at 17 to permit of the lengthwise and tilting movement of the extension 0r stay member 19. This member 19 is substantially bar-like in form andv at` its inner end is pivoted at 20 to a bracket 21 A simple c which `is secured by screws 22 or otherwise to the end wall 23 of the suit case member 10. The body of the member 19 is provided with an elongated slot 24 which at one end is enlarged to provide a hooked portion 25. The edges of the slot diverge at the inner part thereof so as to widen the slot considerably, as at 2G, and at the rear portion has a straight shoulder 27. The outer edge of the slot 24 is adapted to be guided on the body by a screw, lug or locking element 28 so that when the member 11 is foldable over on to the member 10, or the member foldable up to the member 11, as shown 1n dotted lines in Fig. 2, the extension member 19 will be forced into the casing 14 until the hooked portion passes about the body of the screw 28. In this position the eXtension member will be locked against outward movement by 4reason of the shoulder 29 of the hooked portion 25 being at this time on the inside of the said screw.

To release the shoulder 29 from the body of the screw 28, and to limit the outward 'movement of the extension member 19, I

" provide a pin or projection 30 which is movable on a plunger, slide or latch 31. l`his slide 31 is bar-like in form and is guided between two pins or projections 32 extended inward from the casing member 16, and at the upper portion of said member l31 is a finger part 33. Thenger part 33 at the upper outer portion extends inward over the member 11 beyond the plate or casing member 16 to adapt the same to be readily grasped by the hand. A spring 34 has one end resting under the upper wall of the casing member 16 and at its other end is held to a lug or projection 37 of the slide n 31. It will thus be evident that when the parts are in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, with the member 19 within the casing 14, the two suitcase members 10 and 11 are locked in a folded or closed position. At this time the pin or projection 30 is in the narrow part of the slot 24 adjacent to the hooked portion 25. If the slide 31 is moved upward against the tension of the spring 34 by grasping the finger' portion 33,

the shoulder 29 of said hooked portion 25 will be moved from the body of the screw 28. The case member 11 may be moved to an unfolded position as shownin full lines in the drawings, when the pin 30 by its engagement of the end of the slot 24 or shoulder 27 will limit the unfolding position of said member 11. In the folded or closed position the slide 31 being normally forced inward by the action of the spring 34,'the eXtension member 19 will be automatically locked when forced within the casing and thus will hold the member 11 to the bottom 10 in their closed or folded positions. If two of such locks or devices are placed on the end walls of the member 11, the said member will be better guided with respect to the member 10 and a better support for the member 11 provided. Ordinarily when the case is open for packing purposes, the member 12 when the case is placed on the Hoor will move to the position shown in the dotted line 38 of Fig. 1, while ordinarily the extension member 19 is made of such length and the casing so arranged that the member 11 may also fold downward to rest on the floor as shown by dotted line 39 in said figure, in order that the member 10 of the suit case may remain in a horizontal positionand not be tilted by either of the members 11 or 12.l j

F rom the foregoing it will be evident that a simple and etlicient lockand stay is provided for dress suit eases or other containers,

for apparel .or other devices; that said device is automatic in its locking action; that said device is particularly adapted for eX- tension or folding dress suit cases; and that said device comprises few parts and may be readily made and assembled. j Y

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. A device of the character described, comprising a casing, a slide, a spring normally forcing the slide in one direction, a projection carried by the slide, a stay member having an yelongated slot provided with a hooked end at one portion thereof and into which slot the projection of the slide `is adapted to enter, and a locking element arranged adjacent to the slide and adapted to be engaged by the hooked end of the slot and to be released therefrom by the movement of the slide. o

2. A device of the character described, comprising a slide, a spring normally forcing the slide in one direction, a projection carried by the slide, a bar-like stay member having an elongated slot provided with a hooked portion and into which slot the projection of the slide is adapted to enter, and a locking element arranged adjacent to the slide and passing through the slot.

3. The combination in a suitcase having two members hinged together, of a device of f the character described, comprising a stay member having an elongated slot provided with a hooked portion, a locking element passing through the slot and adapted to lock themembers together when in folded position, and means for releasing the stay member from the locking element.

A 4. A device of the character described, comprising a bar-like extension member having an elongated lslot enlarged at one end and provided with a hooked portion at the other end, a bracket to which the extension member is pivoted, a screw forming a'locking element having its body portion passing through the slot ofy said extension member, a pin entering said slot, a slide on which the vand a spring normally forcing the' slide Within the casing. Y

5. A device of the character described, comprising a bar-like extension member having an elongated slot enlarged at one end and provided with a hooked portion at the other end, a locking element having its vbody portion passing through the slot of the extension member, and a slide having means to move the extension member relatively to the locking element.

6. A device of the character described, comprising a easing, a bar-like extension member having an elongated slot enlarged Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents at one end and provided with a hooked portion at the other end, a screw forming a locking element having its body portion passing through the slot of the extension member, a pin entering said slot adjacent to the screw, a slide guided in the casing on vwhich the pin is mounted, a finger part forV moving said slide, and a spring normally forcing the slide Within the easing.

This specification signed and witnessed this 4th day of June A. D. 1914.

JOSEPH C. OKNEILL. Witnesses:

LESTER C. TAYLOR, C. BARTELS.

Washington, D. C. 

